Today's players are bigger and stronger, and they make more money. But is the game Bo knows really better than its distant cousin of 40 years ago, when a Duke ruled in Flatbush and Ted Williams was still the king of Swing?

A Roundup of the Week April 2-8

PRO BASKETBALL—The league's hottest player and team. Michael Jordan and the Bulls, soared to within 2½ games of the Pistons, the leaders in the Central Division. Chicago beat the Pacers 109-102, the Magic 111-104 and the Mavs, who fell 109-108 when the Bulls' John Paxson canned a three-pointer at the buzzer. Jordan averaged 36.7 points in the three games, which stretched Chicago's winning streak to seven games. Meanwhile, the Pistons lost two of four games, including a 100-97 defeat at the hands of the Cavaliers, who also knocked off the Hawks 101-95 to move ahead of Atlanta in the battle for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The 76ers still led the Atlantic Division by 2½ games over the Celtics despite a 114-104 loss to the Knicks that snapped an eight-game Sixer winning streak. The Pacific Division-leading Lakers ran the NBA's best record to 57-17 with three victories, stretching their unbeaten streak to six. Utah finished the week with a three-game lead on San Antonio in the Midwest Division. Four teams, the Nuggets, the SuperSonics. the Rockets and the Warriors, contended for the final two playoff spots in the Western Conference. Denver, which won one of three games, and Seattle, which included a 136-134 OT upset of the Trail Blazers among its two wins, had the edge at week's end.

GOLF—NICK FALDO parred the second playoff hole to beat Ray Floyd and win his second straight Masters, and $225,000, in Augusta. Faldo and Floyd completed regulation play in 10-under-par 278 (page 18).

Kris Monaghan shot an eight-under-par 276 to defeat Cathy Gerring by two strokes and earn $45,000 in an LPGA event in Poway, Calif.

HOCKEY—In the first round of the NHL playoffs, the underdog Kings won games with and without the King of Los Angeles, Wayne Gretzky, to seize a 2-1 lead in their opening-round series against the Stanley Cup champion Flames. Without Gretzky, who sat out the series' first two games with a back injury, L.A. came out on top 5-3 in the opener behind two goals from Luc Robitaille. After Calgary evened the series with an 8-5 win, the Kings returned home to beat the Flames 2-1. Gretzky assisted on the first goal and Tony Granato sealed the victory with a shorthanded goal 8:47 into overtime. In the other Smythe Division series, the Jets won a playoff game in Edmonton for the first time, en route to building a two-games-to-one series lead over the Oilers. Dale Hawerchuk's third goal of the series, with 4:30 left in Game 3, gave the Jets a 2-1 victory. In the Norris Division semis, the Blues jumped to a 3-0 series edge against the Maple Leafs as the league's leading goal scorer, Brett Hull, got a goal in each game. In Game 3 of the other Norris semis, the Blackhawks' Steve Larmer snapped a scoreless tie with 9:48 left to play to pace Chicago to a 2-1 triumph and a 2-1 series lead. In the Wales Conference only the Rangers were able to sweep the opening two games. Their rookie goalie, Mike Richter, was superb, stopping 59 shots, including a penalty shot, as the Islanders succumbed 2-1 and 5-2. Bernie Nicholls and John Ogrodnick each scored a pair of goals for the Rangers. In the other Patrick Division semifinal, Dino Ciccarelli scored his third goal of the game 5:34 into overtime to lead the Capitals to a 5-4 win in the series opener on the Devils' ice. New Jersey bounced back in the second game with a 6-5 win; for the Devils, John MacLean produced a pair of goals, and rookie goalie Chris Terreri had 21 saves in his first playoff start. In the Adams Division, the Whalers surprised the Bruins 4-3 in Boston as Todd Krygier had a goal and an assist, but the Bruins got untracked in Game 2, with Andy Moog stopping 25 shots and the power play producing all the Boston goals in a 3-1 triumph. Sabre goalie Daren Puppa thwarted the Canadiens in the opener of their series by stopping 34 of 35 shots in a 4-1 victory. Then Montreal's Mats Naslund and Stephane Richer each contributed a goal and an assist and Patrick Roy got a 26-save shutout as the Canadiens prevailed 3-0 in the second game.

HORSE RACING—In Kentucky Derby preps, MISTER FRISKY ($3.20), ridden by Gary Stevens, covered the 1‚Äö√Ñ√∂‚àö√±‚àö¬µ miles of the Santa Anita Derby in 1:49 flat to beat Video Ranger by 4½ lengths and win $275,000; THIRTY SIX RED ($67), Mike Smith up, won the Gotham Stakes at Aqueduct in 1:33⅘ finishing 1¼ lengths ahead of Senor Pete and earning $182,400; and HOME AT LAST ($14), with Jerry Bailey in the saddle, beat Run Turn by 2¾ lengths in the Preview Stakes at Gulf-stream Park. He ran the 1‚Äö√Ñ√∂‚àö√±‚àö¬µ miles in 1:53[1/5] and won $140,160.

MOTOR SPORTS—DAVEY ALLISON, driving a Ford Thunderbird, beat Mark Martin, also in a Thunderbird, in a photo finish to win a NASCAR event and $50,100 in Bristol, Tenn. He averaged 87.257 mph for 500 laps of the .533-mile Bristol International Raceway oval.

MILEPOSTS—DISMISSED: As basketball coach at North Carolina State, JIM VALVANO, 44, amid charges of transgressions in various aspects of the N.C. State program. In his 10 seasons with the Wolfpack, Valvano had a 187-105 record; he guided N.C. State to the 1983 NCAA title.

FINED: By the NHL, for "actions against the welfare of the game" involving fighting instigated by their players at the end of an April 5 playoff loss to the New York Rangers, the NEW YORK ISLANDERS, $25,000, and Islander coach AL ARBOUR, $5,000. For instigating the brawling after the game ended, Islander right wing MICK VUKOTA was suspended without pay for 10 games. Defenseman KEN BAUMGARTNER was suspended for one game without pay for a deliberate attack on a Ranger player (page 14).

FIRED: As basketball coach at Howard University, A.B. WILLIAMSON, 44, the winningest coach (240-182) in school history. Williamson's Bison had a 17-39 record over the past two seasons.

NAMED: As basketball coach at Florida, LON KRUGER, 37, who guided Kansas State to an 81-45 record over four seasons; at K State, DANA ALTMAN, 31, who had once been one of Kruger's assistants; and at Miami (Fla.), LEONARD HAMILTON, 41, who coached Oklahoma State to a 56-63 record over the past four seasons.

REINSTATED: By the University of Oklahoma, following a nationwide public outcry and threats of legal action, the Sooners' women's basketball program, which had been dropped because of a lack of fan support (page 14).

SUSPENDED: By The Athletics Congress, steeplechaser HENRY MARSH, 36, for two years, for failing to report for a mandatory drug test. Marsh, a member of four U.S. Olympic teams, plans to appeal the suspension (page 14).

TRADED: By the Pittsburgh Pirates, outfielder BILLY HATCHER, 29, to the Cincinnati Reds for pitcher MIKE ROESLER, 26, and a minor leaguer; and catcher JUNIOR ORTIZ, 30, and a minor leaguer to the Minnesota Twins for a minor leaguer.